Loss
by Sharingana
Summary: It hurts the most to lose the one person you never thought you would...My first fanfic! Please R&R! [Kakasaku]


She had never run so hard or so fast in all her life.

She could scarcely breathe for the pounding of her own heart, beating out a desperate rhythm in her chest, driving her forward till her feet only grazed the tree branches with each step as she flew above the ground.

_Where are you?_

The air was rank with the scent of blood, and at intervals she glimpsed another still, nameless form sprawled in the shadows of the undergrowth, and in spite of herself the only thing she felt was fleeting relief that she had not yet seen his body among them.

_Please…_

She didn't know how far she had traveled, but it became all too apparent that the battle had spread a considerable distance farther into the forest than she'd thought…which meant he could be anywhere.

He could by dying, right now, and she might not find him until it was too late.

"Kakashi…" she whispered, and as his name fell from her lips, it took all of her willpower to keep her tears at bay, to keep her mind focused on the only thing that mattered now…

She had to find him.

Had he always meant this much to her? No…she knew that wasn't true. When she'd been younger, he was just her sensei, her teacher, and the picture of him, standing in his usual apathetic slouch, one hand jammed into his pocket, the other holding open that ubiquitous orange book, white-grey hair a spiking out in disarray, his one normal eye the only visible part of his face, was so etched into her mind that at times that seemed the only way she could recall him in her memories. And for all their years together, for all the times he'd been there to keep their team in one piece, for all the quirks, chronic lack of punctuality and perverted habits that she'd become accustomed, until now, she realized she'd never really known him.

Not him as a _man_, and certainly not as someone she might one day even come to love. He was always…separate. He was the Copy Ninja of Konoha, he was her mentor, but never had it crossed her mind that he was as human as she was, that he had passions as she had, or that there was a person who went so much deeper that she could ever have imagined hiding behind that mask.

When she had been afraid, it had taken only a few words of assurance from him to halt her tears. When Sasuke had left her, and the village, for last time, he had still been there, a constant that helped to remind her that her world was not completely broken. But still, even in the years that passed, as she grew and became strong enough to protect the people she loved, she never saw him as anything more.

Until now…

_Not enough time…_

And all at once, as she burst through the dense upper branches, suspended for a split second in the open air, she glimpsed into a clearing…saw the glint of silver hair in the fading light…dark, scarlet stains spread over torn fabric…and then she was falling.

_Kakashi…_

Twigs and tiny branches scratched at her body as she plummeted to the ground, catching herself and rolling as she hit the bottom. In one breath she was on her feet and running again.

She didn't get far before she saw him.

It took her breath away, and as her jade eyes took in the sight of his prone form, lying on his side, his hair laced with flecks of blood, the streams of crimson running down his forehead, glistening black as it seeped into the fabric of his mask, and the mess of jagged, seeping wounds and shredded vest the were his chest and abdomen, a part of her mind refused to believe it, that anyone could do this to him, that it was even possible for him – for Kakashi - to fall.

As she dropped hard to her knees, a fear like none she had ever felt before burning in her chest, she reached out and placed one shaking hand on his shoulder, the other on his masked face, calling his name, her voice coming in short, choking sobs.

"Kakashi…K-Kakashi…can you hear me?...Please, open you eyes…"

When he didn't respond, she brought her hand down to his chest, ignoring the warm viscous fluid that stuck to her fingers, and let her chakra seep into him to touch into the depths of his body, assessing and evaluating, precise as only a medic could be.

She felt his heartbeat, weak and thready but nonetheless perceptible as it reverberated back to her along the tendrils of chakra, but her relief died just as quickly as she delved farther and the true extent of his injuries became apparent to her.

_No…_

_NO…NO…_

"S…Sa…kura…"

She looked down, saw one dark, heavy lidded eye looking up at her, the other an impossible shade of red, a single, perfect scar running over the skin.

"Kakashi!"

He coughed, gasping slightly, and brought one hand over her arm as it still lay on his chest, pulling his mask down heavily. As he brought it down around his neck, and he let his hand fall limply away, she felt him shudder and cough again, blood dribbling dark and thick from his pale lips.

Instantly she changed the flow of her chakra, molding it and setting it to ease the pain, to ease his breathing as much as she could…to help him hold on a little longer.

"Sakura…" he started again, his voice a clearer as the green glow from her fingers settled into his chest.

"It's alright," she told him gently, offering as much of a smile as she could muster, knowing what he would ask, "Our reinforcements made it in time, and we were able to push them back to the border. We're not sure how many are left, or what our own casualty list is adding up to be, but it's under control for the time being."

He closed his eyes again, nodded slightly and let out a slow, shallow breath. "That's…good. But I was going to ask…about you…"

Mismatched eyes looked up at her again, and suddenly she felt his hand slide over hers, still pressed against his upper body. "Are you alright?"

She hesitated, unable to look away from his eyes…afraid to, even.

"Y-yeah…Kakashi, I'm fine. Just…fine…" Her eyes began to blur, her face becoming hot.

He smiled weakly up at her, and it broke her heart. "Good…good…"

Slowly, ever so slowly, his eyes drifted away from hers, and she felt his hand falling back to the ground.

"…good…"

Beneath her hand, his heartbeat began to fade, becoming fainter and fainter.

"KAKASHI!" She reached her hand behind his shoulders, pulling his upper body with what little strength she had left, holding his bloodied, limp form against her. "Hey!…Kakashi! …"

After a moment, his eyes focused on her again, and he whispered, "Don't cry…Sakura…everything will be…okay…"

Those words…he'd said them a hundred times to her. But this time she couldn't stop crying.

Running her fingers back through his hair, she brought his head up, and placed her lips over his.

For the briefest moment, she felt him respond, pressing his lips into hers, and then…there was nothing.

She held him for longest time, and even though she knew he could not longer hear her, she kissed his forehead and whispered into his hair as his head fell against her shoulder.

"I love you, Kakashi-sensei…"


End file.
